


μαχητής

by petalsfall



Series: Arkos week 2018 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Pyrrha lives, arkos, jaune arc - Freeform, pyrrha nikos - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:45:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petalsfall/pseuds/petalsfall
Summary: μαχητής- Fighter, Warrior (noun)Though nightmares plague her nights, Jaune is there to hold her hand through it all, to lend his partner strength as she recovers from the fight that nearly stole her life.Day one- Pyrrha Survives





	μαχητής

 It's the middle of the night when her dreamless sleep, one that had only been reached thanks to the pain killers a nurse had given her hours ago when her throbbing chest had simply become too much, shifts to a nightmare.

_ The cold, bitter fall wind bites her skin as she kneels there, unable to stand- She's already tried. With a glass arrow imbedded into her ankle retreating isn't an option. The so called 'invincible girl', a nickname Pyrrha has hated ever since it began to circle the media, had finally lost and this time it will cost her everything. Hands press into the concrete, rubble and ash dirtying the normally pristine black gloved that she wears. Pyrrha hates how her foe's fingers trace her cheek and chin, the act alone making her cringe. She knows she means to take her life, she can hear it in her voice and she knew this fight could be her last from the moment she decided to kiss her partner. And so as she pulls away, trying to straighten her form as best as she can before the very same question she asked Jaune less than forty eight hours ago crosses her lips once more. "Do you believe in destiny?" _

_ The maiden simple answers with a yes before stepping back and forming her bow once again. As an arrow faces directly at the fallen huntress she realizes just how much she doesn't want to die, even if she has accepted her fate, but just as that thought enters her mind that very arrow sinks it's way into her chest. Instantly a gasp leaves her and pain consumes every fiber of her being. The world fades to black so fast, death coming to take her she assumes, the last sound she can comprehend before all awareness is lost is her name- screamed out by Ruby and then everything is gone. _

It's in that moment that her nightmare finally ends and emerald hues burst open, a gasp escaping her lips as her chest heaves- drawing uneven breaths.Tears are already beginning to leak from her eyes, making their way down her cheeks. Jaune notices this change at once. Almost instantly he's moved from lying in the reclining chair at her bed side to sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand and pushing her bangs aside. He's taken to sleeping lightly out of concern for her wellbeing, wanting to be there if she wakes from pain or nightmares. It's been so hard on all of them since the fall but knowing that she is okay, that she is going to heal from this gives them some comfort. "Hey, it's okay," He starts while caressing her hand, his voice gentle and as level as he can manage despite the sheer worry that fills him. "You're safe." He dries her tears with his other hand before pressing his palm to her cheek, a touch she leans into at once. He wants to badly to hug her tightly, but with her chest wound he simply can't without risking causing her pain so he presses his forehead to her's instead. They remain that way for awhile in silence, Pyrrha finding so much comfort in her partner's touch that words aren't necessary. "Thank you, Jaune."

After awhile Pyrrha's breathing finally settles into a calm and even pattern once more, exhaustion starting to cause her eyelids to begin to flutter. Relief fills Jaune at this, at last his partner is at ease again- as much as she can be in the hospital at least. "You should get some sleep Pyr." He pulls back, removing the hand that rested on her cheek. "I'll try, can you stay here?" She asks, her voice soft. He nods at once, he's rarely left her room since they arrived at the hospital and he has no plans to leave her side. "Of course, I have my chair right beside your bed, I'm not going anywhere Pyrrha." She bites her lip hesitantly, that isn't what she meant. Pyrrha knows she shouldn't be asking for this, they have only just become a couple in the past few days when she told him everything that had taken place at Beacon before the fall and confessed, and there's still the matter that she is recovering. "I mean can you lay with me, if you want to that is..." Her voice trails, nerves taking over but as she looks up at Jaune and sees the smile he wears she realizes theres no reason to be. "I'd love that." He knows it won't be easy with how hurt she is but if she's asking and feels up to sharing a bed he is more than willing to try. "Just promise to let me know right away if you're in pain okay?" The last thing he wan't is to hurt her. "Okay." He helps her move over slightly before slipping in under the covers, Pyrrha settling in laying with his arm around her. The sight of her laying there, finally for the first time tonight resting comfortable without pain or residual trauma effecting her puts him at ease. It's a miracle he gets to hold her like this, even if it's not exactly cuddling. They came so close to losing her. The doctors weren't even sure if she would make it through the first night, but she had, and after four days unconscious she'd managed to wake sooner than any of them had anticipated.

Blue hues gaze over at Pyrrha, her head leaning against his chest and her eyes closed as her chest rises and falls in a gentle rhythm. He can't help but smile, she just looks so at peace as she sleeps. Gently, as to not cause her to stir, he presses a kiss to her head, hoping it will help to ward off any nightmares. She's been so tired with the pain of her injuries and how often nurses come by to check the dressings on her wounds and her vitals; She needs all the peaceful rest she can get. Jaune has always seen her as strong, remembering how early in their second semester she defeated team CRDL single handedly. But this, her surviving such horrendous wounds, one that should have taken her life, causes him to realize how much of a fighter she truly is. 'Even so,' He thinks while stroking one of her hands. 'It's time that I be strong for her.'

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Parts of this piece as well as Jaune’s actions are heavily inspired by roleplays with Jaune-Refaire-Arc and, Thank you Nate for being such an amazing writing partner over the past year.  
> Also inspiration for the title comes from the fact that the word μαχητής is tattooed to my wrist, which I got back in November as a tribute to my own recovery from my second hip surgery and battle with chronic pain and illnesses. (Sicily is my childhood home, hince the greek).


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